62 Flood Victims Crammed In A House In Kelantan Are Forced To Drink Boiled Floodwater
The group had to sleep huddled together while some of the men were forced to sleep in their cars as there was not enough space for all of them in the house.
62 residents staying in a home in a village in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, have resorted to boiling floodwater for their daily consumption
It was reported that the area was surrounded by floodwaters and all the access roads were inundated.
Having ran out of clean drinking water and with no help arriving, the villagers resorted to boiling the floodwater for drinking and making milk for young children.
One mother affected by this predicament, 54-year-old Muzipah Che Muda, said she was aware that the decision was not a very good one, but stressed that there was no other option because the children were already complaining of thirst for several hours.
"In fact, we also used the boiled floodwater for cooking. We are hoping that the relevant authorities will send us the much needed aid, especially clean drinking water," she was quoted as saying by New Straits Times.
Muzipah added that they are aware about the challenges of accessing the area they live in, so for the time being, they decided to use what they had, despite the obvious risks in drinking floodwater.
The 62 villagers had decided to gather at one of their neighbours' homes as it was the least flooded, Berita Harian reported.
The group had to sleep huddled together while some of the men were forced to sleep in their cars as there was not enough space for all of them in the house
According to another victim, 46-year-old Mohd Yatin Mat Yaacob, since the floods struck, there has been no energy supply, forcing them to use a generator, including to charge their mobile phones and other gadgets.
It was reported that they did not go to the flood evacuation centre because the nearest one was already packed.
"Even though floodwaters have ravaged some of our homes, we are grateful that we are still okay and have a place to seek shelter," Yatin said.
Yesterday, 21 December, it was reported that the 62 flood victims have received assistance from the authorities
Image via Bernama via Free Malaysia Today
Tumpat member of parliament (MP) Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi said that she was informed that aid was given to the victims on 18 December through Rantau Panjang MP Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff.
"Among other assistance also given were 40 mattresses, 20 pillows, 20 mats, 40 boxes of mineral water, two units of cooking stoves, 20 rice tongs, snacks, and so on. Other help will also follow," she told Free Malaysia Today.
Read more of our coverage of the flooding in Malaysia:
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